Flow cell assemblies and related systems

ABSTRACT

Gasket assemblies and related system and methods. An apparatus includes a system, a flow cell, and a plurality of gasket assemblies. The system includes a flow cell interface and the flow cell has one or more channels. Each channel has a first channel opening and a second channel opening. The first channel openings are positioned at a first end of the flow cell and the second channel openings are positioned at a second end of the flow cell. A gasket assembly coupled at each second channel opening. Each gasket assembly includes an adhesive stack and a gasket. The adhesive stack includes a first side bonded to the gasket and a second side bonded to the flow cell. The flow cell interface is engagable with the corresponding gaskets to establish a fluidic coupling between system and the flow cell.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 63/170,946, filed Apr. 5, 2021, and U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 63/199,916, filed Feb. 2, 2021, thecontent of each of which is incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Sequencing platforms may include fluidic interfaces that can form afluidic connection with a flow cell.

SUMMARY

Advantages over the prior art can and benefits as described later inthis disclosure can be achieved through the provision of gasketassemblies and related systems and methods. Various implementations ofthe apparatus and methods are described below, and the apparatus andmethods, including and excluding the additional implementationsenumerated below, in any combination (provided these combinations arenot inconsistent), may overcome these shortcomings and achieve thebenefits described herein.

In accordance with a first implementation, an apparatus includes a flowcell. The flow cell has one or more channels. Each channel has a firstchannel opening and a second channel opening. The first channel openingsare positioned at a first end of the flow cell and the second channelopenings are positioned at the second end of the flow cell. A gasketassembly is coupled at each second channel opening. Each gasket assemblyincludes an adhesive stack and a gasket. The adhesive stack includes afirst side bonded to the gasket and a second side bonded to the flowcell.

In accordance with a second implementation, an apparatus includes agasket assembly including a gasket and an adhesive stack including afirst adhesive, a separating layer, and a second adhesive. Theseparating layer has a first side at least partially covered by thefirst adhesive and a second side. The second adhesive at least partiallycovers the second side of the separating layer. The separating layer ispositioned between the first adhesive and the second adhesive. Thegasket is bonded to the second adhesive. The second adhesive ispositioned between the separating layer and the gasket. The apparatusalso includes a release liner to which the first adhesive of theadhesive stack is releasably bonded.

In accordance with a third implementation, an apparatus includes asystem and a flow cell. The system includes a flow cell interface andthe flow cell has one or more channels. Each channel has a first channelopening and a second channel opening. The first channel openings arepositioned at a first end of the flow cell and the second channelopenings are positioned at a second end of the flow cell. A gasketassembly is coupled at each second channel opening. Each gasket assemblyincludes an adhesive stack and a gasket. The adhesive stack includes afirst side bonded to the gasket and a second side bonded to the flowcell. The flow cell interface is engagable with the correspondinggaskets to establish a fluidic coupling between system and the flowcell.

In accordance with a fourth implementation, a method includes picking upa gasket assembly using a head of a pick-and-place machine. The gasketassembly includes an adhesive stack and a gasket. The adhesive stackincludes a first side bonded to the gasket and a second side. The methodincludes placing the second side of the gasket assembly onto a surfacesurrounding an opening of a channel of a flow cell.

In accordance with a fifth implementation, an apparatus includes a flowcell including a channel including a channel opening and a gasketassembly coupled at the channel opening. The gasket assembly includes anadhesive stack and a gasket. The adhesive stack includes a first sidebonded to the gasket and a second side bonded to the flow cell.

In an accordance with a sixth implementation, an apparatus includes anadhesive backed gasket.

In accordance with a seventh implementation, a method includes pickingan adhesive backed gasket and placing the adhesive backed gasket on aflow cell. The method also includes pressing the adhesive backed gasketto the flow cell thereby coupling the adhesive backed gasket to the flowcell.

In further accordance with the foregoing first, second, third, fourth,fifth, sixth, and/or seventh implementations, an apparatus and/or methodmay further include or comprise any one or more of the following:

In an implementation, the adhesive stack has a through hole and thegasket has a through hole that is aligned with the through hole of theadhesive stack to enable fluidic communication through the gasketassembly.

In another implementation, the adhesive stack includes a first adhesivecoupled to the flow cell and a second adhesive coupled to the gasket andpositioned between the first adhesive and the gasket.

In another implementation, each gasket assembly further includes aseparating layer positioned between the first adhesive and the secondadhesive. The first adhesive bonds to both the flow cell and theseparating layer and the second adhesive bonds to both the separatinglayer and the gasket.

In another implementation, the separating layer includes polyethyleneterephthalate.

In another implementation, the separating layer includes a through holeand the gasket has a through hole aligned with the through hole of theseparating layer. The first adhesive coats a first side of theseparating layer and the second adhesive coats a second side of theseparating layer.

In another implementation, the first adhesive includes acrylic adhesive.

In another implementation, the second adhesive includes siliconeadhesive.

In another implementation, the gasket includes a silicone elastomer.

In another implementation, the apparatus includes a flow cell manifoldcoupled to the first end of the flow cell and includes a flow cellmanifold inlet, a plurality of fluidic lines, and a plurality of flowcell manifold outlets fluidically coupled to the flow cell manifoldinlet by the corresponding fluidic lines. Each of the flow cell manifoldoutlets is coupled to a corresponding first channel opening of the flowcell.

In another implementation, the apparatus includes a manifold gasketassembly coupled to the flow cell manifold inlet.

In another implementation, the manifold gasket assembly includes a firstadhesive coupled to the flow cell manifold, a gasket, and a secondadhesive coupled to the gasket and positioned between the first adhesiveand the second adhesive.

In another implementation, the flow cell manifold includes a laminate.

In another implementation, the apparatus includes a liner assemblyincluding the release liner, permanent adhesive and a foil layer, thepermanent adhesive bonding the foil layer and the release layer.

In another implementation, the liner assembly further includes a thirdadhesive and a polyethylene terephthalate layer. The third adhesivebonding the foil layer and the polyethylene terephthalate layer.

In another implementation, the apparatus includes a plurality of thegasket assemblies. Each of the gasket assemblies being spaced apart andcoupled to the release liner.

In another implementation, the plurality of gasket assemblies arecoupled to the release liner and form a roll.

In another implementation, the flow cell interface includes a pluralityof plungers that are engagable with the corresponding gaskets.

In another implementation, the apparatus includes springs that bias thecorresponding plungers.

In another implementation, the flow cell interface includes a plungerguide including plunger bores in which the corresponding plungers arepositioned.

In another implementation, the system further includes a vacuum chuckthat supports the flow cell.

In another implementation, the vacuum chuck supports a substantiallength of the flow cell between the first end and the second end.

In another implementation, the apparatus includes a flow cell frame towhich the flow cell and the plurality of gasket assemblies are coupled.

In another implementation, the method includes pressing the gasketassembly toward the surface of the flow cell, thereby coupling thesecond side of the adhesive stack to the surface of the flow cell.

In another implementation, the method includes dispensing the gasketassembly from a roll including a plurality of the gasket assemblies.

In another implementation, dispensing the gasket assembly from the rollincludes passing the gasket assembly through a guide.

In another implementation, the method includes detecting a location ofthe gasket assembly using a sensor prior to picking up the gasketassembly.

In another implementation, the adhesive stack includes a first adhesiveon the first side of the adhesive stack, a second adhesive on the secondside of the adhesive stack, and a separating layer positioned betweenthe first adhesive and the second adhesive.

In another implementation, the first adhesive includes an acrylicadhesive, the second adhesive includes a silicone adhesive, and theseparating layer includes a polyethylene terephthalate layer.

In another implementation, the gasket includes a silicone elastomer.

In another implementation, the adhesive backed gasket includes anadhesive stack.

In another implementation, the adhesive stack includes polyethyleneterephthalate between an acrylic adhesive and a silicone adhesive.

In another implementation, the silicone adhesive is adjacent to thegasket.

In another implementation, the gasket includes a silicone elastomer.

In another implementation, the apparatus further includes a flow cell.The adhesive backed gasket is coupled to the flow cell.

In another implementation, the apparatus further includes a laminate anda flow cell. The laminate is coupled to the flow cell and the gasket iscoupled to the laminate.

In another implementation, the flow cell includes a plurality of thechannels.

It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing conceptsand additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided suchconcepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being partof the subject matter disclosed herein and/or may be combined to achievethe particular benefits of a particular aspect. In particular, allcombinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of thisdisclosure are contemplated as being part of the subject matterdisclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an implementation of a systemin accordance with the teachings of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view of an example implementationof a first portion of the flow cell interface of FIG. 1 and the vacuumchuck and the flow cell cartridge assembly illustrating the first end ofthe flow cell of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a detailed cross-sectional view of an example implementationof a second portion of the flow cell interface of FIG. 1 and the vacuumchuck and the flow cell cartridge assembly illustrating the second endof the flow cell of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is an isometric expanded view of an example implementation of theflow cell cartridge assembly of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the flow cell cartridge assembly of FIG.4 .

FIG. 6 is an expanded isometric view of an example implementation of thegasket assembly of FIG. 1 including the adhesive stack and the gasketthat each define a corresponding through hole.

FIG. 7 is an expanded isometric view of an example implementation of thegasket assembly of FIG. 1 illustrating the gasket, the first adhesive,the second adhesive, and the separating layer.

FIG. 8 illustrates a plan view of another implementation of the flowcell that can be used with the system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 9 is a system that can be used to assemble flow cells in accordancewith the teachings of this disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates an isometric view of a head that can be used withthe system of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the roll of gasketassemblies that can be used with the system of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart for a method of assembling a portion ofthe flow cell cartridge assembly of FIG. 1 or any of the flow cellsdisclosed herein using the system of FIG. 9 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the following text discloses a detailed description ofimplementations of methods, apparatuses, and/or articles of manufacture,it should be understood that the legal scope of the property right isdefined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent.Accordingly, the following detailed description is to be construed asexamples only and does not describe every possible implementation, asdescribing every possible implementation would be impractical, if notimpossible. Numerous alternative implementations could be implemented,using either current technology or technology developed after the filingdate of this patent. It is envisioned that such alternativeimplementations would still fall within the scope of the claims.

This disclosure is directed toward flow cell cartridge assembliesincluding a flow cell having a plurality of channels. The flow cell mayor may not include a flow cell manifold having a single inlet and aplurality of outlets. The outlets of the flow cell manifold are coupledto the channels of the flow cell. To facilitate a fluidic couplingbetween the channels and the associated system that is used to, forexample, perform an analysis on a sample of interest, a gasket may beprovided at the outlets of the channels. The gasket may span a width ofthe flow cell and has holes that correspond to the outlets of each ofthe channels. While this single gasket is effective at establishing asealed connection between the flow cell and the associated system, whenthe flow cell includes a plurality of channels (e.g., eight channels),alignment stack ups between the gasket and the outlets of the channelsmay be exasperated. While the above example mentions the flow cellincluding a plurality of channels, flow cells in accordance with theteachings of this disclosure may include a single channel.

At least one aspect of this disclosure is directed toward flow cellcartridge assemblies and related systems that allow for decreasedmanufacturing tolerances and also a decreased amount of force that maybe involved to establish a fluidic connection between the flow cell andthe system. In some implementations, a fluidic connection can beestablished between the system and the flow cell using a force ofapproximately 1.2 Newton (N) or less. For example, the gaskets andrelated methods disclosed herein may provide approximately a 30%reduction in sealing force as compared to other methods such as gasketscoupled by brackets, thereby greatly reducing flow cell housing size andcomplexity. Lower sealing force also may result in less flow cellwarpage, leading to improved optics and thermal interface. As such, thedisclosed implementations reduce the likelihood of a fluidic connectionnot being established between the flow cell and the system and alsoreduces the likelihood that engagement between the flow cell and thesystem adversely affects the flatness of the flow cell.

Using the disclosed implementations, there may also be a common linevolume reduction compared to gaskets coupled by brackets. Adhesivebacked gaskets as disclosed herein may also enable smaller tolerancestack up on port alignment and fewer moving parts. The gaskets andrelated methods of use and manufacture also provide benefits andadvantages related to flexible design to accommodate multipleconfigurations of flow cells.

The disclosed flow cell cartridge assemblies include adhesive backedgaskets that are individually adhered at each of the outlets of therespective channels and to the inlet of the flow cell manifold.Alternatively, the flow cell manifold may be omitted and the adhesivebacked gaskets may be coupled at the inlets of the respective channels.The adhesive backed gaskets may include an adhesive stack and a gasket,where the adhesive stack has a first side bonded to the gasket and asecond side bonded to the flow cell.

The adhesive stack may include a first adhesive coupled to the flow celland a second adhesive coupled to the gasket and positioned between thefirst adhesive and the gasket. Including the two adhesives allows theadhesive backed gasket to adhere to both the flow cell made of glass andthe gasket made of a silicone elastomer. The adhesive stack may alsoinclude a separating layer that is positioned between the first adhesiveand the second adhesive. The first adhesive can bond to both the flowcell and the separating layer and the second adhesive can bond to boththe separating layer and the gasket. In some implementations, the firstadhesive is acrylic adhesive, the second adhesive is silicone adhesive,and the separating layer includes polyethylene terephthalate (PET).However, other types of adhesives or separating layers may be used.

In some implementations, the gaskets may be provided on a tape reel suchthat the gaskets can be fed into a precision pick-and-place (PNP)machine using a label feeder concept. This may involve feeding thegaskets onto a non-stick surface of the label feeder to allow a head ofa vacuum nozzle to pick up and place the gasket onto a flow cell forautomated assembly.

At least some of the example gaskets and method of using/applying agasket to a flow cell described herein help to reduce the manifoldsealing force significantly, thereby reducing the complexity and/or costof the flow cell holder architecture. A pick-and-place machine may beused for assembly, namely, for applying an adhesive backed gasket to aflow cell or laminate structure supporting or fluidically connected tothe flow cell. In some examples, a pick-and-place machine is used topick up a gasket from a label feeder and then align and place the gasketover/around a hole of a flow cell, where the hole acts as a portproviding fluidic access to a flow channel of the flow cell.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an implementation of a system100 in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. The system 100can be used to perform an analysis on one or more samples of interest.The sample may include one or more DNA clusters that have beenlinearized to form a single stranded DNA (sstDNA). In the implementationshown, the system 100 is adapted to receive a flow cell cartridgeassembly 102 including a flow cell 103 and a sample cartridge 104 andincludes, in part, a sipper manifold assembly 106, a sample loadingmanifold assembly 108, and a pump manifold assembly 110. The system 100also includes a drive assembly 112, a controller 114, an imaging system116, and a waste reservoir 118. The controller 114 is electricallyand/or communicatively coupled to the drive assembly 112 and to theimaging system 116 and is adapted to cause the drive assembly 112 and/orthe imaging system 116 to perform various functions as disclosed herein.

The system 100 includes a flow cell receptacle 122 that receives theflow cell cartridge assembly 102, a vacuum chuck 124 that supports theflow cell 103, and a flow cell interface 126 that is used to establish afluidic coupling between the system 100 and the flow cell 103. The flowcell interface 126 may include one or more manifolds.

Referring initially to the flow cell 103, in the implementation shown,the flow cell 103 includes a plurality of channels 128, each having afirst channel opening 130 positioned at a first end 132 of the flow cell103 and a second channel opening 134 positioned at a second end 135 ofthe flow cell 103. Depending on the direction of flow through thechannels 128, either of the channel openings 130, 134 may act as aninlet or an outlet. While the flow cell 2 is shown including twochannels 128 in FIG. 1 , any number of channels 128 may be included(e.g., 1, 2, 6, 8) (see, FIGS. 5 and 8 ).

The flow cell cartridge assembly 102 also includes a flow cell frame136, a flow cell manifold 137 coupled to the first end 132 of the flowcell 103, and a plurality of gasket assemblies 138 coupled at thecorresponding second channel openings 134. As used herein, a “flow cell”(also referred to as a flowcell) can include a device having a lidextending over a reaction structure to form a flow channel therebetweenthat is in communication with a plurality of reaction sites of thereaction structure. Some flow cells may also include a detection devicethat detects designated reactions that occur at or proximate to thereaction sites. As shown, the flow cell 103, the flow cell manifold 137,and the gasket assemblies 138 are coupled or otherwise carried by theflow cell frame 136. While the flow cell frame 136 is shown includedwith the flow cell cartridge assembly 102 of FIG. 1 , the flow cellframe 136 may be omitted. As such, the flow cell 103 and the associatedgasket assemblies 138 may be used with the system 100 without the flowcell frame 136.

In the implementation shown, the flow cell manifold 137 may be alaminate and include a single inlet 140 and a plurality of outlets 142that are each coupled to the inlet 140 by a plurality of fluidic lines144 (the fluidic lines 144 are more clearly shown in FIG. 5 ). One ofthe gasket assemblies 138 is also coupled at the inlet 140 of the flowcell manifold 137. The outlets 142 of the flow cell manifold 137 arealigned with and positioned adjacent to the first flow cell openings130. As such, fluid can flow between the outlets 142 of the manifold 137and the first openings 130 of the channels 128. While the flow cellcartridge assembly 102 of FIG. 1 is shown including the flow cellmanifold 137, in other implementations, the flow cell manifold 137 maybe omitted. When the flow cell manifold 137 is omitted, the gasketassemblies 138 can be coupled at the first channel openings 130 in amanner similar to the couplings between the gasket assemblies 138 andthe flow cell 103 at the second channel openings 134

Referring to the gasket assemblies 138, in the implementation shown,each gasket assembly 138 includes an adhesive stack 146 and a gasket148. The adhesive stack 146 has a first side 150 bonded to the gasket148 and a second side 152 bonded to the flow cell 103. The adhesivestack 146 and the gasket 148 form an adhesive backed gasket having anannular shape and the adhesive stack 146 may be formed by a double-sidedpressure-sensitive adhesive tape. The second side 152 of the adhesivestack 146 may be bonded to the flow cell 103 using adhesive or covalentbonds. Covalent bonds may be formed by activing glass of the flow cell103 and activing the second side 152 of the adhesive stack 146 made ofsilicone and placing the flow cell 103 and the second side 152 of theadhesive stack 146 in contact with one another, for example. The glassof the flow cell 103 and/or the second side 152 of the adhesive stack146 may be activated by altering the surface energy of the material tofavor a certain property such as hydrophobicity, reactivity, bonding,and/or morphology. Heat and/or pressure may also or alternatively beused to activate the glass of the flow cell 103 and/or the second side152 of the adhesive stack 146.

In operation, the flow cell interface 126 engages with the correspondinggaskets 148 to establish a fluidic coupling between the system 100 andthe flow cell 103. The engagement between the flow cell interface 126and the gasket assemblies 138 reduces or eliminates fluid leakagebetween the flow cell interface 126 and the flow cell 103.

Referring still to the gasket assemblies 138, the adhesive stack 146 andthe gasket 148 have through holes 154, 156 that are aligned with oneanother to enable fluidic communication through the gasket assembly 138.Thus, fluid can flow into and/or out of the flow cell 103 through thegasket assemblies 138. In the implementation shown, the adhesive stack146 includes a first adhesive 158 coupled to the flow cell 103 and asecond adhesive 160 coupled to the gasket 148 and positioned between thefirst adhesive 158 and the gasket 148. The adhesive stack 146 alsoincludes a separating layer 162 that is positioned between the firstadhesive 158 and the second adhesive 160. The first adhesive 158 bondsto both the flow cell 103 and the separating layer 162 and the secondadhesive 160 bonds to both the separating layer 162 and the gasket 148.

To allow fluid to pass through the gasket assembly 138, the separatinglayer 162 defines the through hole 154 that is aligned with the throughhole 156 of the gasket 148. In the implementation shown, the firstadhesive 158 coats a first side 166 of the separating layer 162 and thesecond adhesive 160 coats a second side 168 of the separating layer 162.The first adhesive 158 and/or the second adhesive 160 may fully coat,partially coat, or form a pattern on the separating layer 162.

The first adhesive 158 may be acrylic adhesive, the second adhesive 160may be silicone adhesive, the separating layer 162 may includepolyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the gasket 148 may be a siliconeelastomer. The gasket 148 may include or otherwise be formed from asilicon sheet, Dynaflex™ G7702 (TPE), a platinum cured silicone,Santoprene 8281-35 (TPV), thermoplastic elastomers, polypropylene basedpolymers, synthetic rubbers, thermoplastic vulcanizate, etc. However,different adhesives may be used for either the first and/or secondadhesives 158, 160 and/or different elastomers may be used for thegasket 148. For example, the first adhesive 158 of the gasket assembly138 that is coupled to the flow cell manifold 137 may be bondable to theflow cell manifold 137 made of PET while the first adhesive 158 of thegasket assembly 138 that is coupled to the flow cell 102 may be bondableto the flow cell 103 made of glass. However, the flow cell manifold 137and/or the flow cell 103 may be made of the different materials thanthose mentioned, including the flow cell manifold 137 and/or the flowcell 103 being made of the same material.

Referring now to the sample cartridge 104, the sample loading manifoldassembly 108, and the pump manifold assembly 110, in the implementationshown, the system 100 includes a sample cartridge receptacle 170 thatreceives the sample cartridge 104 that carries one or more samples ofinterest (e.g., an analyte). The system 100 also includes a samplecartridge interface 172 that establishes a fluidic connection with thesample cartridge 104.

The sample loading manifold assembly 108 includes one or more samplevalves 174 and the pump manifold assembly 110 includes one or more pumps176, one or more pump valves 178, and a cache 180. One or more of thevalves 174, 178 may be implemented by a rotary valve, a pinch valve, aflat valve, a solenoid valve, a check valve, a piezo valve, and/or athree-way valve. However, different types of fluid control devices maybe used. One or more of the pumps 176 may be implemented by a syringepump, a peristaltic pump, and/or a diaphragm pump. However, other typesof fluid transfer devices may be used. The cache 180 may be a serpentinecache and may temporarily store one or more reaction components during,for example, bypass manipulations of the system 100 of FIG. 1 . Whilethe cache 180 is shown being included in the pump manifold assembly 110,in another implementation, the cache 180 may be located in a differentlocation. For example, the cache 180 may be included in the sippermanifold assembly 106 or in another manifold downstream of a bypassfluidic line 182.

The sample loading manifold assembly 108 and the pump manifold assembly110 flow one or more samples of interest from the sample cartridge 104through a fluidic line 184 toward the flow cell cartridge assembly 102.In some implementations, the sample loading manifold assembly 108 canindividually load/address each channel 128 of the flow cell 125 with asample of interest. The process of loading the channels 128 with asample of interest may occur automatically using the system 100 of FIG.1 .

As shown in the system 100 of FIG. 1 , the sample cartridge 104 and thesample loading manifold assembly 108 are positioned downstream of theflow cell cartridge assembly 102. Thus, the sample loading manifoldassembly 108 may load a sample of interest into the flow cell 103 fromthe rear of the flow cell 103. Loading a sample of interest from therear of the flow cell 103 may be referred to as “back loading.” Backloading the sample of interest into the flow cell 103 may reducecontamination. In the implementation shown, the sample loading manifoldassembly 108 is coupled between the flow cell cartridge assembly 102 andthe pump manifold assembly 110.

To draw a sample of interest from the sample cartridge 104 and towardthe pump manifold assembly 110, the sample valves 174, the pump valves178, and/or the pumps 176 may be selectively actuated to urge the sampleof interest toward the pump manifold assembly 110. The sample cartridge104 may include a plurality of sample reservoirs that are selectivelyfluidically accessible via the corresponding sample valve 174. Thus,each sample reservoir can be selectively isolated from other samplereservoirs using the corresponding sample valves 174.

To individually flow the sample of interest toward a correspondingchannel 128 of the flow cell 125 and away from the pump manifoldassembly 110, the sample valves 174, the pump valves 178, and/or thepumps 176 can be selectively actuated to urge the sample of interesttoward the flow cell cartridge assembly 102 and into the respectivechannels 128 of the flow cell 103. In some implementations, each channel128 of the flow cell 103 receives the sample of interest. In otherimplementations, one or more of the channels 128 selectively receivesthe sample of interest and others of the channels 128 do not receive thesample of interest. The channels 128 of the flow cell 103 that may notreceive the sample of interest may receive a wash buffer instead, forexample.

The drive assembly 112 interfaces with the sipper manifold assembly 106and the pump manifold assembly 110 to flow one or more reagents thatinteract with the sample within the flow cell 103. In an implementation,a reversible terminator is attached to the reagent to allow a singlenucleotide to be incorporated onto a growing DNA strand. In some suchimplementations, one or more of the nucleotides has a unique fluorescentlabel that emits a color when excited. The color (or absence thereof) isused to detect the corresponding nucleotide. In the implementationshown, the imaging system 116 excites one or more of the identifiablelabels (e.g., a fluorescent label) and thereafter obtain image data forthe identifiable labels. The labels may be excited by incident lightand/or a laser and the image data may include one or more colors emittedby the respective labels in response to the excitation. The image data(e.g., detection data) may be analyzed by the system 100. The imagingsystem 116 may be a fluorescence spectrophotometer including anobjective lens and/or a solid-state imaging device. The solid-stateimaging device may include a charge coupled device (CCD) and/or acomplementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS).

After the image data is obtained, the drive assembly 112 interfaces withthe sipper manifold assembly 106 and the pump manifold assembly 110 toflow another reaction component (e.g., a reagent) through the flow cell103 that is thereafter received by the waste reservoir 118 via a primarywaste fluidic line 186 and/or otherwise exhausted by the system 100.Some reaction components perform a flushing operation that chemicallycleaves the fluorescent label and the reversible terminator from thesstDNA. The sstDNA is then ready for another cycle.

The primary waste fluidic line 186 is coupled between the pump manifoldassembly 110 and the waste reservoir 118. In some implementations, thepumps 176 and/or the pump valves 178 of the pump manifold assembly 110selectively flow the reaction components from the flow cell cartridgeassembly 102, through the fluidic line 184 and the sample loadingmanifold assembly 108 to the primary waste fluidic line 186.

The flow cell cartridge assembly 102 is coupled to a central valve 188via the flow cell interface 126. An auxiliary waste fluidic line 190 iscoupled to the central valve 188 and to the waste reservoir 118. In someimplementations, the auxiliary waste fluidic line 190 receives excessfluid of a sample of interest from the flow cell cartridge assembly 102,via the central valve 188, and flows the excess fluid of the sample ofinterest to the waste reservoir 117 when back loading the sample ofinterest into the flow cell 103, as described herein. That is, thesample of interest may be loaded from the rear of the flow cell 103 andany excess fluid for the sample of interest may exit from the front ofthe flow cell 103. By back loading samples of interest into the flowcell 103, different samples can be separately loaded to correspondingchannels 128 and the single flow cell manifold 137 can couple the frontof the flow cell 103 to the central valve 188 to direct excess fluid ofeach sample of interest to the auxiliary waste fluidic line 190. Oncethe samples of interest are loaded into the flow cell 103, the flow cellmanifold 137 can be used to deliver common reagents from the front ofthe flow cell 103 (e.g., upstream) for each channel 128 that exit fromthe rear of the flow cell 125 (e.g., downstream). Put another way, thesample of interest and the reagents may flow in opposite directionsthrough the channels 128 of the flow cell 103.

Referring to the sipper manifold assembly 106, in the implementationshown, the sipper manifold assembly 106 includes a shared line valve 192and a bypass valve 194. The shared line valve 192 may be referred to asa reagent selector valve. The central valve 188 and the valves 192, 194of the sipper manifold assembly 106 may be selectively actuated tocontrol the flow of fluid through fluidic lines 196, 198, 200. One ormore of the valves 196, 198, 200 may be implemented by a rotary valve, apinch valve, a flat valve, a solenoid valve, a check valve, a piezovalve, etc. Other fluid control devices may prove suitable.

The sipper manifold assembly 106 may be coupled to a correspondingnumber of reagents reservoirs 202 via reagent sippers 204. The reagentreservoirs 202 may contain fluid (e.g., reagent and/or another reactioncomponent). In some implementations, the sipper manifold assembly 106includes a plurality of ports. Each port of the sipper manifold assembly106 may receive one of the reagent sippers 204. The reagent sippers 204may be referred to as fluidic lines.

The shared line valve 192 of the sipper manifold assembly 106 is coupledto the central valve 188 via the shared reagent fluidic line 196.Different reagents may flow through the shared reagent fluidic line 196at different times. In an implementation, when performing a flushingoperation before changing between one reagent and another, the pumpmanifold assembly 110 may draw wash buffer through the shared reagentfluidic line 196, the central valve 188, and the flow cell cartridgeassembly 102. Thus, the shared reagent fluidic line 196 may be involvedin the flushing operation. While one shared reagent fluidic line 196 isshown, any number of shared fluidic lines may be included in the system100.

The bypass valve 194 of the sipper manifold assembly 106 is coupled tothe central valve 188 via the dedicated reagent fluidic lines 198, 200.The central valve 188 may have one or more dedicated ports thatcorrespond to the dedicated reagent fluidic lines 198, 200. Each of thededicated reagent fluidic lines 198, 200 may be associated with a singlereagent. The fluids that may flow through the dedicated reagent fluidiclines 198, 200 may be used during sequencing operations and may includea cleave reagent, an incorporation reagent, a scan reagent, a cleavewash, and/or a wash buffer. Thus, when performing a flushing operationbefore changing between one reagent and another in association with thebypass valve 194, the sipper manifold assembly 106 may draw wash bufferthrough the central valve 188 and/or the flow cell cartridge assembly102. However, because only a single reagent may flow through each of thededicated reagent fluidic lines 198, 200, the dedicated reagent fluidiclines 198, 200 themselves may not be flushed. The approach of includingdedicated reagent fluidic lines 198, 200 may be advantageous when thesystem 100 uses reagents that may have adverse reactions with otherreagents. Moreover, reducing a number of fluidic lines or length of thefluidic lines that are flushed when changing between different reagentsreduces reagent consumption and flush volume and may decrease cycletimes of the system 100. While two dedicated reagent fluidic lines 198,200 are shown, any number of dedicated fluidic lines may be included inthe system 100.

The bypass valve 194 is also coupled to the cache 180 of the pumpmanifold assembly 110 via the bypass fluidic line 182. One or morereagent priming operations, hydration operations, mixing operations,and/or transfer operations may be performed using the bypass fluidicline 182. The priming operations, the hydration operations, the mixingoperations, and/or the transfer operations may be performed independentof the flow cell cartridge assembly 102. Thus, the operations using thebypass fluidic line 182 may occur during, for example, incubation of oneor more samples of interest within the flow cell cartridge assembly 102.That is, the shared line valve 192 can be utilized independently of thebypass valve 194 such that the bypass valve 194 can utilize the bypassfluidic line 182 and/or the cache 180 to perform one or more operationswhile the shared line valve 192 and/or the central valve 188simultaneously, substantially simultaneously, or offset synchronouslyperform other operations. Thus, the system 100 can perform multipleoperations at once, thereby reducing run time.

Referring now to the drive assembly 112, in the implementation shown,the drive assembly 112 includes a pump drive assembly 206 and a valvedrive assembly 208. The pump drive assembly 206 may be adapted tointerface with the one or more pumps 176 to pump fluid through the flowcell 103 and/or to load one or more samples of interest into the flowcell 103. The valve drive assembly 208 may be adapted to interface withone or more of the valves 174, 178, 188, 192, 194 to control theposition of the corresponding valves 174, 178, 188, 192, 194.

Referring to the controller 114, in the implementation shown, thecontroller 114 includes a user interface 210, a communication interface212, one or more processors 214, and a memory 216 storing instructionsexecutable by the one or more processors 214 to perform variousfunctions including the disclosed implementations. The user interface210, the communication interface 133, and the memory 216 areelectrically and/or communicatively coupled to the one or moreprocessors 214.

In an implementation, the user interface 210 is adapted to receive inputfrom a user and to provide information to the user associated with theoperation of the system 100 and/or an analysis taking place. The userinterface 210 may include a touch screen, a display, a key board, aspeaker(s), a mouse, a track ball, and/or a voice recognition system.The touch screen and/or the display may display a graphical userinterface (GUI).

In an implementation, the communication interface 212 is adapted toenable communication between the system 100 and a remote system(s)(e.g., computers) via a network(s). The network(s) may include theInternet, an intranet, a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network(WAN), a coaxial-cable network, a wireless network, a wired network, asatellite network, a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a cellularnetwork, a Bluetooth connection, a near field communication (NFC)connection, etc. Some of the communications provided to the remotesystem may be associated with analysis results, imaging data, etc.generated or otherwise obtained by the system 100. Some of thecommunications provided to the system 100 may be associated with afluidics analysis operation, patient records, and/or a protocol(s) to beexecuted by the system 100.

The one or more processors 214 and/or the system 100 may include one ormore of a processor-based system(s) or a microprocessor-based system(s).In some implementations, the one or more processors 214 and/or thesystem 100 includes one or more of a programmable processor, aprogrammable controller, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), areduced-instruction set computer (RISC), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), afield programmable logic device (FPLD), a logic circuit, and/or anotherlogic-based device executing various functions including the onesdescribed herein.

The memory 216 can include one or more of a semiconductor memory, amagnetically readable memory, an optical memory, a hard disk drive(HDD), an optical storage drive, a solid-state storage device, asolid-state drive (SSD), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM),erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), a random-access memory (RAM), anon-volatile RAM (NVRAM) memory, a compact disc (CD), a compact discread-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-raydisk, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) system, a cacheand/or any other storage device or storage disk in which information isstored for any duration (e.g., permanently, temporarily, for extendedperiods of time, for buffering, for caching).

FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view of an example implementationof a first portion 250 of the flow cell interface 126 of FIG. 1 and thevacuum chuck 124 and the flow cell cartridge assembly 102 illustratingthe first end 132 of the flow cell 103 of FIG. 1 . The first portion 250of the flow cell interface 126 is positioned to establish a fluidicconnection with the gasket assembly 138 associated with the flow cellmanifold 137 of the flow cell cartridge assembly 102.

In the implementation shown, the first portion 250 of the flow cellinterface 126 includes a plunger guide 252 that includes a plunger bore254 in which a plunger 256 is positioned. A spring 258 is shownpositioned to bias the corresponding plunger 256 in a directiongenerally indicated by arrow 260 and into engagement with thecorresponding gasket assembly 138. The plunger 256 defines a fluidicpath 262 that allows fluid to pass therethrough. As also shown in FIG. 2, the vacuum chuck 124 supports a substantial width 266 of the flow cell103. Additionally, the vacuum chuck 124 may support a substantial lengthor the entire length of the flow cell 103 between the ends 132, 135.

FIG. 3 is a detailed cross-sectional view of an example implementationof a second portion 268 of the flow cell interface 126 of FIG. 1 and thevacuum chuck 124 and the flow cell cartridge assembly 102 illustratingthe second end 135 of the flow cell 103 of FIG. 1 . The second portion268 of the flow cell interface 126 is positioned to establish a fluidicconnection with the gasket assemblies 138 at the second end 135 of theflow cell 103.

In the implementation shown, the second portion 268 of the flow cellinterface 126 includes the plunger guide 252 including the plunger bores254 in which corresponding plungers 256 are positioned. The springs 258are positioned to bias the corresponding plunger 256 in a directiongenerally indicated by arrow 260 and into engagement with thecorresponding gasket assembly 138.

FIG. 4 is an isometric expanded view of an example implementation of theflow cell cartridge assembly 102 of FIG. 1 . In the implementationshown, the flow cell cartridge assembly 102 includes the flow cell frame136, the flow cell 103 having a plurality of the channels 128, the flowcell manifold 137, and the gasket assemblies 138. The flow cellcartridge assembly 102 also includes a radio frequency identification(RFID) tag 270 that is used for tracking and/or identification purposesand a plurality of retaining clips 272 that are used to retain the flowcell 103, the flow cell manifold 137, and/or the RFID tag 270 within orrelative to the flow cell frame 136.

Referring to the flow cell frame 136, in the implementation shown, theflow cell frame 136 has perimeter walls 274 and a top surface 276. Theperimeter walls 274 and the top surface 276 define a cavity 278. Thecavity 278 includes an upper opening 280 and a lower opening 282. Theupper opening 280 is defined by the top surface 276 and may allow imagedata to be obtained of the flow cell 103 using the imaging system 116.The lower opening 282 is defined by a lower edge 284 of the perimeterwalls 274 and may allow for the sample of interest to be loaded into thechannels 128 of the flow cell 103 through the different gasketassemblies 138.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the flow cell cartridge assembly 102 ofFIG. 4 . As shown, the flow cell manifold 137 includes the single inlet140, the fluidic lines 144, and the outlets 142. As mentioned above, theinlet 140 of the flow cell manifold 137 is coupled to each of theoutlets 142, via the fluidic lines 144. The flow cell manifold 137 andits fluidic lines 144 may allow less valving to be used to control fluidflow through the flow cell cartridge assembly 102.

FIG. 6 is an expanded isometric view of an example implementation of thegasket assembly 138 of FIG. 1 including the adhesive stack 146 and thegasket 148 that each define one of the corresponding through holes 154,156. The gasket 148 may be formed from a silicon sheet and the adhesivestack 146 may be double-coated tape with PET and/or a transfer adhesive.Generally, the gasket assembly 138 may include a thermally stableadhesive and gasket material may be capable of surviving multiplethermal cycles between approximately 20° C. and approximately 60° C.,and have a shelf life of approximately 18 months for materials.

To form the adhesive stack 146 and/or the gasket 148, the adhesive stack146 and/or the gasket 148 can be cut using a laser cutting process, adie cutting process, a knife/flash cutting process, and/or a water jetcutting process. These or other processes allow the gaskets 148 to beformed with less defects and without or less knit defects.

FIG. 7 is an expanded isometric view of an example implementation of thegasket assembly 138 of FIG. 1 illustrating the gasket 148, the firstadhesive 158, the second adhesive 160, and the separating layer 162. Insome implementations, the gasket assembly 138 has a diameter ofapproximately 4 millimeters (mm)+/−0.2 mm, the through hole 154 and/or156 has a diameter of approximately 1 millimeter (mm)+/−0.1 mm, thethickness of the gasket 148 is approximately 1.0 mm m+/−0.1 mm, thegasket 148 has a hardness of approximately 30 Shore A+/−5 Shore A, andthe adhesive stack 146 has a thickness of approximately 75 micrometers(μm). While thicknesses and/or diameters are mentioned in associationwith the gasket assembly 138 and/or its components 148, 154, 156,158,160, 162, other sizes and/or diameters may prove suitable.

FIG. 8 illustrates a plan view of another implementation of the flowcell 103 that can be used with the system 100 of FIG. 1 . In contrast tothe implementation of FIG. 4 , the flow cell 103 of FIG. 8 includes twochannels 128 and has a lesser width. While the gasket assemblies 138 arenot shown coupled to the flow cell 103 of FIG. 8 , the gasket assemblies138 may be included in a manner similar to how the gasket assemblies 138are coupled to the flow cell 103 of FIG. 4 . While two channels 128 areshown, any number of channels may be included instead such as, forexample, six channels or one channel. If the flow cell 103 includes onechannel, the flow cell manifold 137 may be omitted.

FIG. 9 is a system 300 that can be used to assemble flow cells 103 inaccordance with the teachings of this disclosure. In the implementationshown, the system 100 includes a pick-and-place machine 302, a gasketfeeder 304, and a carrier 306 that receives the flow cell 103 during theassembly process. The pick-and-place machine 302 may be a Fuji pick andplace (PNP) machine and may include a head 308 that is used to pick upand place the gasket assemblies 138 and a sensor 310 used to obtainlocation data. The location data may include the position of the gasketassembly 138 and/or the flow cell 103 being assembled and can be used toidentify the flow cell fiducials, the flow cell manifold fiducials,and/or the gasket assembly 138 fiducials through optical detection orother processes.

The head 308 of the pick-and-place machine 302 defines a recess 311 thatreceives an end portion 312 of the gasket assembly 138 and includes apair of arc-shaped apertures 313 that allows a coupling to be createdbetween the head 308 and the gasket assembly 138. The gasket feeder 304has a spool 314 that receives a roll 315 including the gasket assemblies138 on a tape 316. The tape 316 may be a low tack tape and may bereferred to as a liner assembly. The gasket feeder 304 also includes aguide 318 that guides the tape 316 as the gasket assemblies 138 aredispensed during the assembly process and a sensor 320 that senses whena gasket assembly 138 is at a pick-up location 322 on the gasket feeder304. In response to the sensor 320 sensing the gasket assembly 138 atthe pick-up location 322, the gasket feeder 304 may stop feeding thegasket assemblies 138 until, for example, the gasket assembly 138 at thepick-up location 322 is picked up by the head 308.

In operation, the pick-and-place machine 302 obtains location data fromthe sensors 310 and/or 320 and, based on the location data, thepick-and-place machine 302 causes the head 308 to pick up one or more ofthe gasket assemblies 138 from the tape 316 and align the gasketassembly 138 with one of the second openings 134 of the channels 128 ofthe flow cell 103. Once aligned, the head 308 moves to couple the gasketassembly 138 to the flow cell 103 at the corresponding second channelopening 134 by pressing the gasket 138 into engagement with the flowcell 103. The pick-and-place machine 302 may repeat the process ofcoupling the gasket assemblies 138 to the flow cell 103 until each ofthe second channel openings 134 has one of the gasket assemblies 138attached adjacent thereto. The pick-and-place machine 302 may alsoattach the flow cell manifold 137 and the associated gasket assembly 138to the first end 132 of the flow cell 103 in a similar manner. Inimplementations when the flow cell manifold 137 is omitted, thepick-and-place machine 302 can couple corresponding gasket assemblies138 to each of the first channel openings 130 in a similar manner as thegasket assemblies 138 are coupled at the second channel openings 134.

A flow cell assembly including the flow cell 103 and the associatedcomponents 137, 138 may then be unloaded from the carrier 306 and/orfrom the system 100. Quality control procedures may be performed on theflow cell 103 including, for example, scanning the flow cell 103 and/orpressure testing the flow cell 103 to verify fluidic integrity. Abarcode label may be affixed to the flow cell 103. After the qualitytests are performed, the flow cell assembly may be secured within theflow cell frame 136.

FIG. 10 illustrates an isometric view of the head 308 that can be usedwith the system 100 of FIG. 9 . In the implementation shown, the head308 includes an end 324 that includes the recess 311 that receives theend portion 312 of the gasket assembly 138 and the arc-shaped apertures313. The arc-shaped apertures 313 may extend through a length of thehead 308 or a portion of a length of the head 308.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the roll 315 of gasketassemblies 138 that can be used with the system 100 of FIG. 9 . In theimplementation shown, the roll 315 includes the gasket assembly 138 andthe tape 316 to which the gasket assembly 138 is removably coupled. Thetape 316 includes a release liner 352, a permanent adhesive 354, and afoil layer 356. The permanent adhesive 364 may bond the foil layer 356and the release liner 352 and ensures that the release liner 352 doesnot detach with the gasket assembly 138 when the gasket assembly 138 isremoved. The foil layer 356 may be used to stop a laser from cuttingthrough the entire tape 316 during a laser cutting process, leavinggasket assemblies 138 on the release liner 352 for easy removal.

In some implementations, dry-ice cleaning may be used to remove debris.The tape 316 also includes a third adhesive 358 and a PET layer 360. Thethird adhesive 358 bonds the foil layer 356 and the PET layer 360 andthe PET layer 360 may deter the foil layer 356 from wrinkling. In otherimplementations, the third adhesive 358 may be barrier coating and thePET layer 360 may be a heat sealing coating. A liner 362 may also beprovided over the gasket assembly 138 to deter the gasket assembly 138from coupling to the tape 316 of another layer of the roll 315. Toproduce the roll 315 with the single row of the gasket assemblies 138 asshown in FIG. 11 , a larger roll with a plurality of rows of the gasketassemblies 138 (e.g., four rows) may be cut using a slitting machine.

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart for a method of assembling a portion ofthe flow cell cartridge assembly 102 of FIG. 1 or any of the flow cells103 disclosed herein using the system 300 of FIG. 9 . The order ofexecution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocksdescribed may be changed, eliminated, combined and/or subdivided intomultiple blocks.

The process 1200 begins with a gasket assembly 138 being dispensed fromthe roll 315 including a plurality of the gasket assemblies 138 (Block1202). Dispensing the gasket assembly 138 from the roll 315 may includepassing the gasket assembly 138 through the guide 318 of the gasketfeeder 304. A location of the gasket assembly 138 is detected using thesensor 320 (Block 1204). The location of the gasket assembly 138 may beassociated with the gasket assembly 138 being located at the pick-uplocation 322. The gasket assembly 138 is picked up using the head 324 ofthe pick-and-place machine 302 (Block 1206). The gasket assembly 138includes the adhesive stack 146 and the gasket 148. The adhesive stack146 has the first side 150 bonded to the gasket 148 and includes thefirst adhesive 158 on the first side 150 of the adhesive stack 146, thesecond adhesive 160 on the second side 152 of the adhesive stack 146,and the separating layer 162 that is positioned between the firstadhesive 158 and the second adhesive 160. In some implementations, thefirst adhesive 158 includes an acrylic adhesive, the second adhesive 160includes a silicone adhesive, and the separating layer 162 includes apolyethylene terephthalate layer.

The second side 152 of the gasket assembly 138 is placed onto a surfacesurrounding an opening 130, 134 of the channel 128 of the flow cell 103(Block 1208) and the gasket assembly 138 is pressed toward the surfaceof the flow cell 103, thereby coupling the second side 152 of theadhesive stack 146 to the surface of the flow cell 103 (Block 1210).

The foregoing description is provided to enable a person skilled in theart to practice the various configurations described herein. While thesubject technology has been particularly described with reference to thevarious figures and configurations, it should be understood that theseare for illustration purposes only and should not be taken as limitingthe scope of the subject technology.

As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceededwith the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding pluralof said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated.Furthermore, references to “one implementation” are not intended to beinterpreted as excluding the existence of additional implementationsthat also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitlystated to the contrary, implementations “comprising,” “including,” or“having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particularproperty may include additional elements whether or not they have thatproperty. Moreover, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” orthe like are interchangeably used herein.

The terms “substantially,” “approximately,” and “about” used throughoutthis Specification are used to describe and account for smallfluctuations, such as due to variations in processing. For example, theycan refer to less than or equal to ±5%, such as less than or equal to±2%, such as less than or equal to ±1%, such as less than or equal to±0.5%, such as less than or equal to ±0.2%, such as less than or equalto ±0.1%, such as less than or equal to ±0.05%.

There may be many other ways to implement the subject technology.Various functions and elements described herein may be partitioneddifferently from those shown without departing from the scope of thesubject technology. Various modifications to these implementations maybe readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and generic principlesdefined herein may be applied to other implementations. Thus, manychanges and modifications may be made to the subject technology, by onehaving ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope ofthe subject technology. For instance, different numbers of a givenmodule or unit may be employed, a different type or types of a givenmodule or unit may be employed, a given module or unit may be added, ora given module or unit may be omitted.

Underlined and/or italicized headings and subheadings are used forconvenience only, do not limit the subject technology, and are notreferred to in connection with the interpretation of the description ofthe subject technology. All structural and functional equivalents to theelements of the various implementations described throughout thisdisclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinaryskill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference andintended to be encompassed by the subject technology. Moreover, nothingdisclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless ofwhether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description.

It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing conceptsand additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided suchconcepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being partof the subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinationsof claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure arecontemplated as being part of the subject matter disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a flow cell having oneor more channels, each channel has a first channel opening and a secondchannel opening, the first channel openings being positioned at a firstend of the flow cell and the second channel openings being positioned atthe second end of the flow cell; and a gasket assembly coupled at eachsecond channel opening, each gasket assembly, comprising: an adhesivestack; and a gasket, the adhesive stack comprising a first side bondedto the gasket and a second side bonded to the flow cell.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the adhesive stack has a through hole andthe gasket has a through hole that is aligned with the through hole ofthe adhesive stack to enable fluidic communication through the gasketassembly.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the adhesive stackcomprises a first adhesive coupled to the flow cell and a secondadhesive coupled to the gasket and positioned between the first adhesiveand the gasket.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each gasketassembly further comprises a separating layer positioned between thefirst adhesive and the second adhesive, the first adhesive bonding toboth the flow cell and the separating layer and the second adhesivebonding to both the separating layer and the gasket.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein the separating layer comprises polyethyleneterephthalate.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the separating layercomprises a through hole and the gasket has a through hole aligned withthe through hole of the separating layer and wherein the first adhesivecoats a first side of the separating layer and the second adhesive coatsa second side of the separating layer.
 7. The apparatus of claim 3,wherein the first adhesive comprises acrylic adhesive.
 8. The apparatusof claim 3, wherein the second adhesive comprises silicone adhesive. 9.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gasket comprises a siliconeelastomer.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a flow cellmanifold coupled to the first end of the flow cell and including a flowcell manifold inlet, a plurality of fluidic lines, and a plurality offlow cell manifold outlets fluidically coupled to the flow cell manifoldinlet by the corresponding fluidic lines, each of the flow cell manifoldoutlets being coupled to a corresponding first channel opening of theflow cell.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a manifoldgasket assembly coupled to the flow cell manifold inlet.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the manifold gasket assembly comprises afirst adhesive coupled to the flow cell manifold, a gasket, and a secondadhesive coupled to the gasket and positioned between the first adhesiveand the second adhesive.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the flowcell manifold comprises a laminate.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the adhesive stack, comprises: a first adhesive; a separatinglayer having a first side at least partially covered by the firstadhesive and a second side; and a second adhesive at least partiallycovering the second side of the separating layer, the separating layerbeing positioned between the first adhesive and the second adhesive,wherein the gasket is bonded to the second adhesive, the second adhesivebeing positioned between the separating layer and the gasket.
 15. Anapparatus, comprising: a system including a flow cell interface; a flowcell having one or more channels, each channel has a first channelopening and a second channel opening, the first channel openings beingpositioned at a first end of the flow cell and the second channelopenings being positioned at a second end of the flow cell; and a gasketassembly coupled at each second channel opening, each gasket assembly,comprising: an adhesive stack; and a gasket, the adhesive stackcomprising a first side bonded to the gasket and a second side bonded tothe flow cell, wherein the flow cell interface is engagable with thecorresponding gaskets to establish a fluidic coupling between the systemand the flow cell.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the flow cellinterface comprises a plurality of plungers that are engagable with thecorresponding gaskets.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the flowcell interface comprises a plunger guide including plunger bores inwhich the corresponding plungers are positioned.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 15, wherein the system further comprises a vacuum chuck thatsupports the flow cell.